


The Art of Almost

by yodepalma



Series: One-Shots I Wish I Could Continue [6]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-17
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-21 03:58:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4814096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yodepalma/pseuds/yodepalma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Sorry,” the man said, smile a little strained. “Looks like something’s come up. Maybe I’ll see you around, kid.” And then he was gone, simple as that, leaving Roxas with only the books--no name, no phone number, no request for them to meet up again later.</p>
<p>It was probably for the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Art of Almost

**Author's Note:**

> If there was ONE STORY in this series I wish I could complete, it's definitely this one. At the end of the story is the list of names I gave to everyone. :)
> 
> Also, you can tell how ridiculously long ago I wrote this because apparently CDs were still a viable method of copying info from a computer in my head. Yikes.

_The Art of Almost_

To be perfectly blunt, Roxas wanted to find the person who had decided the shelves in his favorite bookstore had to be this high and put them out of their misery. He knew it wasn’t very fair of him to be thinking that--he _was_ obnoxiously short, the curse of his family--but it simply wasn’t right for everything to be based on taller people and he really wanted his book. He flailed up at it determinedly, bouncing lightly on his toes and quite nearly getting his fingertips around the binding every time, but always slipping off. Snarling at himself when he failed for what had to be the twentieth time already, he stepped back to take a deep breath and prepare to just climb Mount Bookshelf when a slim hand reached around him and easily snagged the book off the shelf that was just out of his reach.

“Thanks,” Roxas muttered embarrassedly as he turned around, heart skipping a beat as his eyes caught those of the person behind him--a brilliant green that was too amazing to be fake, if that made any sense--and oh god where had this man been for the duration of his short life?

“No prob,” the man replied, handing the book to Roxas with a charming grin. “Couldn’t let a cute thing like you struggle like that, could I? And anyway, I couldn’t deprive anyone of their Neil Gaiman fix.”

“I’ve, uh, actually never read anything by him before,” Roxas responded hesitantly, not entirely sure why he was mentioning that to a complete stranger. “A friend of mine just recommended him to me, and she’d just finished reading this one….”

“It’s not his best,” the taller man responded, reaching behind Roxas again (and leaning forward a little, though Roxas was sure that wasn’t at all necessary) and pulling down another book. “Try this one. It’s my personal favorite.”

“Sure, thanks,” Roxas responded softly, gently taking hold of the book as the stranger handed it to him. A single long finger reached out and stroked the side of his hand, and a blush spread easily across his cheeks. He ducked his head and wished his hair was long enough to hide behind.

“Hey,” the man said, voice equally soft, and Roxas glanced up only to get caught in the green-eyed gaze again. “Wanna grab a coffee with me?”

For a moment, Roxas was speechless. How could this man with the impossible eyes be interested in _him_ , a spiky-haired high school kid with a young face (he was a senior, really, but a lot of people thought he was a freshman) and too-cold blue eyes? Maybe the man actually suspected who he was: it wouldn’t be the first time a reporter had tried to get into his pants for a story, though he was usually working when they did. Could he risk that happening? He couldn’t afford the public knowing….

Fortunately, the ringing of the taller man’s cell phone took Roxas’ decision away from him: the other took one look at whoever was calling him and muttered a soft cuss, glaring at the phone like he wanted it to burst into flames in his hand.

“Sorry,” the man said, smile a little strained. “Looks like something’s come up. Maybe I’ll see you around, kid.” And then he was gone, simple as that, leaving Roxas with only the books--no name, no phone number, no request for them to meet up again later.

It was probably for the best.

@-`---

Phoenix was unhappy. This was, of course, putting it lightly--at the moment he was getting his ass handed to him by a guy that was a good foot shorter than him. He and his archenemy were usually evenly matched, but this one time--in the basement of a government facility were Phoenix hadn’t quite finished getting the information he needed--The Key of Destiny was winning easily. The problem was that Phoenix was mostly a long-range attacker (oh, he could fight up close with the best of them, but even though his chakram were gigantic, he still had to get too close for comfort when it came to going up against Destiny’s keyblades), and he didn’t dare use his fire. The last thing he needed  was to blow up the computer that was busy copying information to his CD.

“What’s wrong, Phoenix?” Destiny asked, a sharp smirk twisting at his pale lips. “Burnt out already?”

Phoenix allowed himself a rather breathless laugh at the horrible pun, spinning away to check the progress. Ninety percent. “From playing with you? Hardly. I just thought I’d go easy on you for once.”

“Bullshit,” the blond replied, a swing of his sword coming entirely too close to Phoenix’s mask. “I know you’re trying to get something off that computer. Don’t think I’m going to give you enough time to get the disc.”

“I’d be disappointed if you did,” Phoenix murmured, itching to wipe off the sweat that was running down the side of his face. “But I don’t think I’m giving you much of a choice!”

The other’s eyes widened as he jumped forward, slamming his suddenly-flaming chakram into crossed blades and forcing the shorter man to back up. He kept the attack up until he heard the soft clicking noises of the CD drive opening up, and then he jumped backwards, scrambling for a case in his pocket on the way. He snagged the CD and put it away as fast as he could, knowing he had no time to waste.

“You’re not getting away!” Destiny snarled, leaping forward once again, and Phoenix was startled to find his back up against a wall. He had only one choice, and he took a deep breath as he prepared himself, hoping the Keys had had the sense to evacuate the building.

“Sure I am, babe,” he said, smiling falsely though nobody could see it. “Watch this.”

And there was fire, burning bright and beautiful around him, a shield that only he could withstand. Destiny had skid to a halt before he had the chance to be burnt to a crisp, and for a long moment Phoenix just admired the play of the light in his cold blue eyes. Then he ran for the door, the fire moving with him, and he could hear the shorter man running after him, but it didn’t matter. Bismark and Fenrir’s latest toy should let him disappear.

**Author's Note:**

> The Organization (Supervillains, named after summons in the Final Fantasy series):  
> Xemnas: Bahamut  
> Xigbar: Fenrir  
> Xaldin: Pandemona  
> Vexen: Bismark  
> Lexaeus: Minotaur  
> Zexion: Diablos  
> Saix: Odin  
> Axel: Phoenix  
> Demyx: Leviathan  
> Luxord: Maduin  
> Marluxia: Crusader  
> Larxene: Eden
> 
> And the Superheroes (mostly named after weapons from the games):  
> Sora: The Key of Fate  
> Roxas: The Key of Destiny  
> Kairi: Divine Rose  
> Namine: Lady Luck  
> Riku: Starseeker  
> Donald: Morning Star  
> Goofy: Gigas Fist  
> Mickey: The King


End file.
